The bell buzzed and the entire school bolted after another fun-filled day ending quickly.  At least, for Matt.  That last fight must have really sent shock waves throughout Tokyo!  He was surrounded by almost ten people; all asking questions at once.  Melvin, of course, was in the front, asking all sorts of genius-type questions about computers.  The rest of the class sighed, guessing that his interests were elsewhere.

“Of course I’m familiar with the Internet.  I have my own web page and a nice little digital camera that takes pictures at 800x600 resolution and up to thirty frames a second.”

The rest of the class was clueless.  Melvin beamed.

“Really?  Stupendous!  You HAVE to come over to my house, I have so many…” The genius rambled on and on.  Matt lightly giggled and stopped him quickly.

“I’m sure your computer’s great.”  He said with a smile.  Melvin backed off but still had a wide smile on his face.

“So where did you live before?  Anywhere neat?”  Molly asked sweetly.

Matt shook his head.  “Only in Helena, Montana.”

“Oh…” Molly sounded disappointed.

“Isn’t that Hicksville?”  A voice called from the back.  Soon Lita popped in front and stared right at Matt.  “Seems you have quite a crowd here, Mattie.  Anything special?”

Matt looked right up at Lita.  “Just friendly conversation.”

“Oh really?  Just friendly conversation?”  Lita questioned suspiciously.

“What’s the big deal, Lita, he’s not brainwashing us or anything!”  Serena grimaced at the taller girl.

“Nothing’s the big deal.  Yet.”  Lita sneered a little at Serena then departed the classroom.

“Oooooh… sorry about that, but you know Lita…” Serena grinned and chuckled nervously.

Actually, he thought, I don’t.

“Boy, she seems mad at you for some reason.  Maybe she wants to pick a fight, she’s prone to those.”  Molly said while watching Lita go.

“Why, though?” Matt asked nervously.

“Don’t you worry about Lita, I’ll talk with her later, she won’t touch you!”  Serena reassured with a wide smile.

Matt nodded in appreciation to Serena.  At least he had a friend there.

* * * *

“Good, you are all here.”  Luna said after Lita caught up with the other sailors at the Cherry Hill Temple.  “I hope you all know why I called you here.”

“No, I don’t, actually.”  Serena admitted.

“You don’t know much anyway…” Rei remarked.

“Oh, shut your trap!”  Serena stuck her tongue out at Rei.  She followed suit.

“Girls, stop it!  This is no time for petty fights.”  Luna scolded.

“Sorry, Luna…” Both girls hanged their heads.

“Now listen up, this is about the recent attack on the arcade by the Negaverse.”  Luna reminded the meatball head.

“What about it?”  Matt asked quietly from the corner next to Mina.

“The only reason they attacked was because they wanted to kill Thanatos.”  Amy clarified.

“He’s a danger to us all and to the entire town as long as he is with us!”  Lita snapped accusingly.

“No way, you saw how he pasted Malachite again!  He saved us!”  Serena smiled at Matt and waved a little.

 “And he was the one that got us there in the first place!”  Lita countered harshly.

 “Okay, you guys, listen up!”  Artemis called from Mina’s lap.  “Whether we like it or not, Thanatos is a Sailor and part of our team.”

 “He’s right, you know.  He’s one of us.”  Mina backed the kitty up.  “We could use his help, he has information on the Negaverse that we could use!”

 “Is that true, Matt?”  Rei turned slightly to him.  Matt looked up to her and nodded.

 “I’ve been ‘serving’ the Negaverse since Jedite first became a pain.  I know their strengths and weaknesses.  I can identify common traps, secrets, and hidden monsters…”

 “And we can use that knowledge to our advantage, but only if we accept him.”  Artemis continued.  “And to accept him you need to learn more about his past.”

 Luna nodded in agreement.

 “So how DOES he fit into this mess?”  Serena asked quietly.

 Artemis took a deep breath and started his story.

* * * *

 The dark man strolled through the Moon Palace’s great halls, admiring the sweet and beautiful decorations.  A lot of work must have been put into this place, he thought, for such beauty to shine through every square inch.

 He stopped himself short.  He had a job to do.

 He ran to a local and asked him quickly to a location.  Once he received directions he trotted there at mild speeds.

 The door was closed.  Figures.  He turned to a guard beside the door.  “Where’s Queen Serenity?”

 “She’s in the gardens.  To your right.”

 “Thank you.”  The dark man altered his course to head for the gardens.

 The Queen was busily fiddling with her daughter’s hair next to a rose patch.  Both were smiling and unaware of the world around them.  Not until the dark man approached them from behind.

 “Excuse me, Queen Serenity?”

 Both women jumped in surprise and turned around quickly.  Serenity giggled and smiled.  “Don’t sneak up like that!”

 “Forgive me, my Queen, but I must speak with you.  Alone.”  The dark man bowed a little in respect, realizing that he has been a bit rude.  Serenity turned to her daughter and she nodded, then walked off to observe a patch of flowers.

 The Queen returned her attention to the dark man.  “Whom might you be, sir?”

 The dark man bowed.  “I am Thanatos, a servant of Prince Darien on Earth.  I have a proposition for you.”

 “Oh, really?  What kind of proposition?”  Serenity sweetly asked.

 “We both know about the Negaverse.  I’ve been finding all sorts of information on this place, and I have reason to believe they may be able to enter our universe soon.”

 “Truly?”  Serenity gasped a little, then sighed.  “If that’s true, we cannot alarm the people.  We don’t want to cause chaos in my peaceful kingdom.”

 “That’s a good idea, Majesty, but that is only a piece of the reason why I am here.”  Thanatos said.

 “And why are you here?”

 “I wish to be your bodyguard, so in case the Negaverse attacks you’d be properly protected.

 Queen Serenity giggled.  “Oh, you don’t have to!  My court is ample protection.”

 Thanatos sneered a little, thinking that Serenity was treating him like a child.  “With all due respect, Majesty, you are underestimating the Negaverse.  Their power may be too much for the court to handle.”

 Serenity smiled.  “I have complete confidence in them.”

 “All the same, I and many others would feel a lot better if you had a bodyguard to protect you.  I am capable, and have the power to adequately defend you and the Moon Kingdom.”

 The Queen considered.  “I will hold a meeting of my court.  I would like you to attend.  You’ll have my answer then.”

 “Thank you, Majesty.”  Thanatos bowed a little and departed for the moment.

 The meeting was held an hour after Thanatos made his proposal.  Only the princesses of the Silver Millenium, Queen Serenity, her daughter, and Thanatos were in attendance.  The last princess to enter was Venus, and once she took her seat Serenity stood and started to speak.

 “I’d like to thank you all for coming on such short notice, but I have disturbing news.  The Negaverse is close to being released.”  Serenity declared.

 The four princesses gasped lightly.

 “How do you know?”  Princess Mercury asked quietly.

 Serenity slightly turned to Thanatos, whom was standing to her left.  “This man told me.”

 “Who’s that, and how does HE know?”  Princess Mars asked sternly.

 “I am Thanatos, a servant of Prince Darien on Earth.  I have devoted my life to fighting the Negaverse, and I have learned through my magics that the Negaverse will break into our universe within at least two months.”  Thanatos explained.

 The five princesses gasped again.

 “This man also offered to be my personal bodyguard, in a noble attempt to protect his queen.  And I have accepted his offer.”  Serenity smiled.

 Thanatos beamed and bowed.  “I am in your debt, Majesty.”

 Serenity giggled lightly and nodded.  Thanatos rose and faced the court.  He noticed that the orange-colored girl in the corner was staring at him curiously.  He returned her gaze only for a moment, once Serenity started to speak again.

 “Now, I would like you all to remain in the Moon Kingdom until the crisis has passed.  I will call the generals of Earth here as well.  The Moon Kingdom must be defended!”

 “That would leave our planets defenseless!”  Princess Mercury pointed out.

 “Only for a short time.  I imagine that the Moon Kingdom will be attacked first, since it is the center point of the Silver Millenium.”  Serenity said.  “With those here we should be able to defend adequately.”

 Venus watched Thanatos throughout the entire meeting, almost unaware of Serenity’s words.  Thanatos was aware of her gaze but paid little attention to it for the time being.

 “Thanatos will be training under me.  I would request that one of you assist me so that he will be strong enough to fight with us.”  Serenity glanced over the court.  “Princess Venus?”

 The girl’s gaze was broken and she shook her head a little.  “Yes, m’queen?”

 “I would like you to help me train young Thanatos here, if that is all right with you.”  Serenity offered.

 Venus nodded lightly.  “I will help.”

 The queen smiled.  “Excellent.  Dismissed.”

 Four of the five princesses departed, but Serenity, Venus, and Thanatos remained for the moment.  Serenity spoke first.  “We had better start your training, we have precious little time.  Come.”

 Thanatos was lead by Serenity to a small arena-type area, Venus following slowly behind.

 Later that night, Thanatos was stricken with a small case of insomnia.  He stood out of his bed and left the quarters given to him by Queen Serenity.  He started to wander the gardens, admiring the beauty even in the darkness.  He heard a rustle behind him and his hands started to glow, prepared to strike that which was behind him.

 “Thanatos?”  A voice called sweetly.

 He turned around and with the glow of his hand, he saw Princess Venus.  He sighed in relief and dropped his guard.

 “Can’t sleep either?”  He asked quietly.

 “No… I wanted to talk to you…” The girl said quietly.

 “What about?”

 “You…”

 “Me?”

 “Yes… I must admit, I am a bit… curious about you.  How you never show your full face through your hood, why you wear the dark clothing…”

 Thanatos turned away from Venus.  “It is a safety measure… I’ve dedicated my life to serving the Moon Kingdom and the royalty on Earth, and when no one knows who you really are no one can get to you.”

 “Oh… I see…” The girl whispered.  “May I ask a favor of you?”

 First a quick glance, then he turned around to face Venus eye-to-eye.  Al least, to where he could see her eyes; the hood cloaked his eyes in the darkness.

 “May I… see your face?”

 Intrigued by her question, especially since no one had ever asked him that question before, he looked her over quietly.  Her dress was long and a very elegant orange color.  Her arms were sleeveless, and her hair was long and blonde, yet none of it fell onto her face.  The tiara was of pure gold, a symbol of her rare power and beauty.
 
 “Thanatos?”

 He shook his head to break his glance.  “Yes?”

 “May I see your face?”

 He nodded slowly and pulled his hands over his face, clenched the top of his hood, and pulled it back slowly, revealing a face no older than sixteen years of age.  His short brown hair was messy from being under a hood for the greater part of the day.  He closed his eyes and placed his hands at his sides, looking right at Venus so she could get a good look.

 She smiled and blushed a little.  “You’re cute…”

 Thanatos blushed and held his head down to hide his red face.  Venus took a step towards him and placed a hand onto his chin, then gently lifted his face back so she could see his face.  She then slowly leaned towards him, her eyes slowly closing.  Thanatos closed his own eyes as her lips met his in a brief kiss.  He turned away from her and started to walk away.

 “Thanatos?”  Venus called out.

 He stopped and slightly tilted his head back.

 “Will you be back tomorrow?”

 He smiled and nodded, then walked away a little faster.

 Over the next few days, Venus and Thanatos had met every night in the gardens, sharing time together.  The two had grown quite fond of each other, and perhaps a bit too fond.  Thanatos’s training had thinned since the two started to see each other, and Venus became less attentive.

 One day in the arena, Venus and Serenity were involved in a minor spar as a part of the day’s training.  They were demonstrating the basic moves required of hand-to-hand combat, and Venus was having a real run for her money.  Serenity had a counter for everything she threw at him, and with a quick high roundhouse sent Venus flying backwards.

 Her flight path landed her in the arms of Thanatos, her lips just brushing his as she landed upright.  Serenity watched as Venus stood upright, her arms around Thanatos and his arms around her.  Venus slowly leaned up and gave him a full-blown kiss that lasted for only three seconds, but seemed to last an eternity.

 It ended slowly, the two separating and staring into each other’s eyes.  Serenity smiled at the two, then walked in between them.  “Ahem, Thanatos?”

 Thanatos blushed and released Venus, then stood in the corner.  Venus nodded to Serenity and continued the spar.

 Somehow, his teacher completed his training despite the distractions.  The night after the training was completed; Venus and Thanatos met again in the gardens.  Their arms were around each other, and each whispered sweet nothings into each other’s ears.  It seemed perfect.

 “Venus!”

 The two broke their hug and turned towards a voice, a deep masculine voice.

 It was a tall man with long white hair and dark skin.  He wore the uniform of Prince Darien’s court.  He was one of the generals, though which one Thanatos could not tell.  Venus sure did, however.

 “Malachite!  What are you doing here, you were not supposed to come until tomorrow.”

 “I couldn’t wait to see you, so I came early.”  Malachite turned to Thanatos with an evil eye.  “What the hell are you doing with my love?”

 “What?  YOURS?”  Thanatos looked between the two.

 Venus started to fight.  “You neglected me!  You always put me aside for your work!”

 “That’s not true, I love you!”  Malachite shouted.

 “Oh, really?  Then why didn’t you come up last month when you said you would?”

 Malachite was speechless.  Rather than defend himself against her, he turned his fight to Thanatos.  “Get away from her, she’s mine!”

 Thanatos growled but did nothing.

 “NOW!”  Malachite raised his hand and sent a wave of energy towards him.  Thanatos’s training paid off, and he was able to deflect it with little difficulty.

 “Malachite, stop it!”  Venus pleaded.

 “Get away!”  Malachite shouted and tried a more powerful version of energy but this time Thanatos deflected the energy with a dark shield so Malachite could not see it coming.  He was knocked backwards and he landed on his back.  He slowly got up groaning, snarled at Thanatos and Venus, then disappeared in a flash of pink light.

 Venus sighed and hung onto Thanatos’s arm.  He just sighed.

 Malachite reappeared near what is Antarctica today.  He looked around the vicinity, which was nothing but snow and ice.  He couldn’t see more than three feet in front of him due to a large blizzard that happened to hit the area when he got there.  Malachite didn’t mind the cold; he was here for another reason.

 Revenge.

 That jerk Thanatos took his girl away from him and for that he would make him pay.  It was obvious his power could not hurt him now; he would need something else to increase his power.

 And he knew exactly what that power was going to be.

 Malachite rose his hands and called upon a power of summoning.  Then he shouted his command.

 “Negaverse!  Take me in!  Adopt me as your child so I may have your power!”  His voice echoed long and loud.  A dark rumble shook the area, and soon he felt himself being stretched out.  It started to hurt a little, his bones becoming elastic, until he was sucked in.

 The next day, the four generals came to the Moon Kingdom.  Malachite, Zoisite, Nephilite, and Jedite stood in front of the palace door, waiting for their loves to greet them.  All but Malachite had a vacant look in their eyes, even when the four princesses ran out of the palace doors to greet them.  Venus stayed back for a second then walked quietly towards Malachite.  The other princesses, however, wasted no time in rushing to the arms of their loves.  Each of them hugged for a long while, except for Venus and Malachite.  Thanatos stood over the palace, watching the reunions.

 The eyes of the generals soon turned bright red and each raised their hands synchronously, and Malachite’s raised as well.  Thanatos watched curiously then watched in horror as each of the generals summoned a crimson knife of steel to their hands.

 The movement was swift and painless for each of the princesses as the knives were brought down onto their spinal cords.  Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter dropped quickly and lied on the ground, bleeding, and death already around them.

 Malachite grinned at Venus, whom immediately tried to run back inside the palace.  Thanatos saw him and immediately fired a shot of lightning towards the renegade general but Malachite had dived towards Venus and avoided the lightning blast.

 Thanatos jumped to the ground to defend her but found that he was too late.  Malachite had already dug the knife deep into her back.  She didn’t die immediately, for he had something to say to her before she met death.

 “I love you.”

 Thanatos looked at Venus’s fallen body, and a supreme anger rose over him.  “Murderer!”

 Thanatos immediately shot a strong stream of lightning at Malachite and watched in horror as it was absorbed into a strong black shield.  He eyes went wide and Malachite grinned.

 “What the hell is wrong with you, Malachite?”  Thanatos shouted in anger.

 “If I can’t have her, NO one can!”  The general grinned.  “Notice anything different about me and my comrades?”

 Thanatos looked over the other three generals.  Their eyes shone with a great evil, one that touched Thanatos’s soul at a psychic level.  Instantly he knew.

 “You brainwashed them…” He turned to Malachite with hatred in his eyes.  “You turned them over to the Negaverse!”

 “What better way to get back at you by crushing that which you were sworn to protect right under your nose?”  Malachite laughed menacingly.  “And by destroying that which you love?”

 Thanatos’s anger and hatred reached its peak.  “I will get you, Malachite… if it takes the rest of my life, I WILL hunt you down and destroy every last memory of you!”

 Malachite just laughed.  “Your Moon Kingdom will fall before the might of the Negaverse.  Don’t be silly.”

 The four generals surrounded the angered Thanatos, then disappeared.

 Thanatos looked all around him, tears forming over his face.  The deaths were too great for him to bear.  He had to warn the queen.

 “Venus…” He whispered silently.  “I will avenge you.”

 He picked up the broken body of Venus and used his power to teleport directly to the Queen, whom was visiting her favorite spot in the palace, her gardens.  Needless to say, Serenity was more than surprised to see her bodyguard carrying a bloodied Venus.

 “What?”

 “She’s dead… and all the others as well…” Thanatos confessed.

 “How did it happen?”  Serenity asked silently.

 “The generals… they had been brainwashed by the Negaverse and murdered them… and Malachite was the one that had betrayed them.”

 “The Negaverse?  It can’t be, it’s still another few weeks until their estimated arrival!”  Serenity protested.

 “It happened right under my nose, I was watching them the whole time… I was so stupid…” Thanatos knelt with Venus’s body.  “I failed in my duty…”

 Serenity kneeled next to him and dried his crying eyes with her index finger.  “You didn’t know they were brainwashed… it’s not your fault.

 “Besides, what’s done is done, and we must prepare to fight them.  The Negaverse will arrive shortly.”  Serenity whispered something to her daughter and she took off.  Serenity returned her attention to Thanatos.  “Gather the bodies of the princesses, place them in my quarters.  And take this with you.”

 Thanatos watched Serenity as she lifted her hand.  In a sparkle of stars and black light, a scythe appeared in her hands.  It was about three inches taller than he was and was made of wood and black steel.  The steel shined like the brightest star.

 “This is your Shadowscythe, the symbol of your power.  With this, your potential is greater than it ever was.  Take it.”  Serenity handed him the scythe and he took it with his hand, which was still under Venus.  Once he was able to grasp it fully, it happened.

 His entire psyche was altered.  Instantly he knew of the powers that the princesses held, and he knew of his piece of those powers.  Like Jupiter was of nature, Mars was of fire, Mercury was of cold, and Venus was of light, he was of shadow.  He was the dark side of the circle, and he realized that Serenity was right.  His potential as a warrior is so much more than it once was.

 Instantly he was filled with a new determination.  He wouldn’t let anyone else die under his watch or he would die in the attempt.

 He looked down onto Venus’s body and vowed again that he would avenge her death.  Then he bowed to Serenity and disappeared to gather the princesses’ bodies.

 Within the next hour, the first wave of Negaverse servants attacked the Moon Kingdom, and without the power of the princesses to defend it, the fights were swift.  Only Serenity and Thanatos were able to survive most of the fighting, and it was evident that they both would not survive much longer.

 Serenity and Thanatos fought side by side, trying to seal the shadows that led the fight into a crystal of Serenity’s.  Prince Darien had already fallen and could not help, but Thanatos’s scythe proved to be the key that allowed Serenity to seal all seven in her crystal.

 By the end she was very weak.  Her powers were sapped to almost nothing because of the fighting.  Thanatos kneeled to her and listened to her final words as the palace began to crumble.

 “Our Moon Kingdom… is finished…  you must leave for Earth, and take the princesses and Darien with you.  My powers will revive them when the time is right.”  Serenity struggled to say her last words as she placed her crystal in his hand.  “Take the Imperium Silver Crystal.  Once you reach the Earth it will shatter into seven separate crystals.  If the Negaverse ever comes back, you must find these crystals and use them to seal them in their Negaverse…”

 Thanatos nodded and said, “It will be done, my Queen.”

 “The princesses and Darien will have no knowledge of their ancestry, so that they may live happy lives on Earth.  You, however, will…” The palace rumbled and forced Serenity to halt her speech a moment.  “You will be sent with memories of the past, so that you can help in the fight.

 “Coming with you will be Luna and Artemis, guardians of the princesses.  They will be responsible for reuniting the princesses again.  They, too, will know nothing of the past.  Find them, you will find the princesses.”

 Thanatos nodded and steadied himself as the palace shook violently.  Serenity finally shouted, “GO!”

 In an instant they were all whisked away.  Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Princess Serena, Prince Darien, Luna, Artemis, and Thanatos were all encased in bubbles and sent slowly to the Earth, their life forces restored and their memories a thing of the past.

* * * *

 “And Serenity died quietly in the palace, hoping that everyone could lead peaceful lives.”  Artemis finished, winded from his story.

 The girls stared in awe over the whole thing.

 “That certainly explains a lot.”  Lita said after a long period of silence.

 “Yes, it certainly does.”  Amy turned to Matt with an apologetic look on her face.  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…”

 Matt smiled and nodded.  “It’s all right.  No harm done.”

 “Now I can see why Malachite’s so determined to kill you…” Lita remarked.

 “But if he wanted you dead so badly, how’d you get into the Negaverse?”  Rei questioned.

 Matt laughed.  “That’s a kicker, I have to tell you!”

 Luna nodded.  “I am rather curious, how did you trick them?”

 “It was simple; I had pretended that Serenity’s scythe had an evil charm that she was not aware of.  When Malachite learned of it, he immediately thought that I had become evil as an apologetic gesture and took me into the Negaverse.”  Matt grinned.  “He never was that smart.”

 “So you’ve seen Queen Beryl?”  Serena asked quietly.  “What’s she look like?”

 Matt shakes his head.  “Her face could crack mirrors.”

 The girls laughed, all except Mina, whom looked at Matt curiously.

 “Something wrong, Mina?”  Matt asked happily.

 Mina just shook her head and smiled.  “Just remembering…”